It is important to keep your trees and shrubbery trimmed back from your home to keep white footed ants from getting inside. They can be found in attics often because they have “bridges” of tree branches leading to roofs. They only need the tiniest of openings to get inside. They are attracted to sweet foods, nectar and honeydew produced by bugs such as aphids. They also eat dead insects. They even have sterile ants that can lay unfertilized eggs to feed some of the ants in the colonies. They send out forager ants to bring back food to the nest. These ants travel in lines which you can clearly see along walls and tree branches. The foragers make it easier for the other ants to find food sources because they leave a trail of pheromones for the other ants to follow.

White footed ants are a real problem with homeowners who have them because although they don’t cause any damage or sting, they multiply like crazy. Almost half of a colony is made up of females who are reproducing. Single colonies can range from a few thousand to millions. These massive colonies don’t all live in one location, they spread around your property. They also have several winged ants that leave the colony a few times a year to spread new colonies to other locations. They are very difficult to eliminate fully, you will most likely need a professional.

White footed ants are a brownish-black color with light colored feet. Normally you will not see wings on them unless its swarming season when they mate and look for other places to spread and colonize. These ants are often found in bathrooms and kitchens (where water and food are abundant) and also around the outside of homes in bushes, under leaves and in trees. They usually nest outside and travel in and out of homes to find food.

Subterranean termites wreak havoc slowly over time. They eat the wood in your home from the inside of the wood. You may only notice this if you knock on the wood and it sounds hollow. If you do regular inspections on your home, you may be able to prevent costly damage. The best way to do this is with preventable chemical treatments. Every five years your home should be retreated. Keeping them from coming in is much easier and cost effective than trying to get rid of them once they are there.

You may notice the swarming termites, or their wings they have left behind, around your window sills and doorways. You may see small holes in your walls and furniture or small brown dust piles. If you suspect you have Subterranean termites in or around your home, please call a professional.

Subterranean termites are the most common type of termites in the United States. Their colonies contain thousands or sometimes even millions of termites. It is said that this type of termite causes billions of dollars’ worth of damage yearly. Subterranean termites live underground. They need moisture to live which they get from the soil they reside in. If the soil around your home touches the house, they will try to come in and feast on your home. They eat decaying trees, wood and roots. They also create mud tunnels from the soil leading to their food supply so they are rarely seen unless they are swarming. They swarm when it’s time to reproduce and spread the colony.

For more information, see the next article posted or call Beachside Termite and Pest Control at 321-750- 4100 or email paul@getbeachside.com.

Nobody likes bed bugs—and they are hard to get rid of, so rental owners might be annoyed to learn that their insurance do not cover insects.

Like cockroaches or rats, across most of the United States bed bugs are considered the responsibility of a tenant. When a renter signs their lease, they agree to maintain the property they live in—and that includes deterring and eliminating pests. This is the case for any type of rental unit, whether it be an apartment or a single-family home.

Florida and Maine are the only states with laws mandating landlords and management companies exterminate bed bugs from a tenant’s residence as soon as they are made aware of them.

If you happen to find a bed bug, vacuuming and throwing them away in a tightly sealed bag then them washing bed sheets in hot water should get rid of them. In extreme cases, or if they persistently appear, you should call an exterminator.